Prince Aleksandar of Hohenberg
Aleksandar, Prince of Hohenberg, usually known simply as Alek, is one of the main characters and protagonists of the Leviathan series. He is a 15-year-old Austrian boy. Alek is the son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Chotek, Princess of Hohenberg. Because his mother was a commoner, Alek is not allowed to inherit the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After his parents are assassinated, Alek goes into hiding with several men who worked for his father, including some of his tutors. Alek is very sheltered and finds it difficult to adapt to a common lifestyle, but he is still tries make himself useful to his men (and later, the crew of the Leviathan) with his skills with piloting and mechanics. Early life Alek was born in Austria-Hungary. In Leviathan, it is mentioned that he is "almost sixteen", placing his birthdate sometime in late 1898 or in 1899. He is part of the Hapsburg family, the royal house of Austria. Because his mother was not directly descended from royalty, his parents' marriage was morganatic, making Alek unable to inherit anything from his father. Alek is still a prince, a title he inherits from his mother, and had tutors of the highest caliber for all subjects. He was taught fencing by Count Volger and walker piloting by Otto Klopp. He was tutored in Latin, Greek, English, French, and Hungarian (the latter three of which he can speak fluently). Though he is a prince, he was looked down on by nobles for most of his life for being the son of a lady-in-waiting. Alek probably spent most of his early life at Konopiště castle near Prague. He did not have many friends as a child. He seems to have been very sheltered, and was not allowed to see films or plays. Alek seems to have spent a lot of time reading novels, as he mentions Gulliver's Travels and also seems to be familiar with the school novel and adventure novel genres popular for young people during the time. In the series ''Leviathan Alek is first seen in the first chapter of ''Leviathan, staging a battle between Darwinists and Clankers in his room in the middle of the night. Claiming a training exercise, Count Volger and Otto Klopp take him with them on board a Cyklop Stormwalker, supposedly to practice night piloting. However, when Alek becomes suspicious of where they are going, Volger reveals that his parents have been murdered that night in Sarajevo and they must flee Austria to escape the same fate. While Alek technically cannot inherit the throne, the current emperor, Franz Joseph, does not have any heirs -- and with a war coming, people might "overlook" the nature of Alek's birth. Because of this, the Archduke's political enemies might try to kill Alek to prevent this from happening. Alek does not believe this and attempts to sound the distress whistle, but Volger drugs him with anesthetic. After Alek comes to, Germans attack the walker, proving that Volger's story is true. Alek and his companions make their way through the countryside, hiding in barns and stealing from local villages. At the same time, Alek struggles with his grief over his parents' deaths as well as being a fugitive from his own nation. After a mishap at a small Austrian market that gives Alek away, they are hunted by Austrian and German patrols. They eventually manage to escape into Switzerland, where Alek's father and Count Volger have already prepared a fortress, having expected a war. While they are at the fortress, Volger reveals a document that, by the dispensation of the pope, "adjusts" his parents' marriage and names Alek as his father's heir. The condition of this dispensation is that it must be kept secret until Franz Joseph dies. Until then, Volger plans for them to hide out in the Alps. However, that night, the ''Leviathan'' crashes over the Alps. Though Volger advises them to wait for the airship to be rescued -- or for the crew to die off if rescue does not come -- in order to keep their location secret from the Germans (and to avoid capture by the British), Alek is unable to leave the stranded airship and crew and sneaks out over the glacier to deliver medicine and supplies. The first person he finds is an unconscious Deryn, who fell from the rigging during the crash. He revives her and claims (unconvincingly) to be a Swiss villager. Deryn does not believe him and sounds an alarm, resulting in Alek's capture. Alek is interrogated by Deryn and Dr. Barlow, who determines that he is not much of a threat and assigns the two of them to watch a crate of (mostly broken) eggs that she was bringing to Constantinople. While tending the eggs, Deryn and Alek share some of their experiences. The next day, Deryn, Dr. Barlow, and Alek go to his hideout to retrieve food and cargo for the wounded Leviathan. On the way back, they spot two German zeppelins approaching. The three of them, as well as the crew of Alek's Stormwalker fight a fierce battle. Though they defeat the zeppelins, but both the Leviathan's engines and the Stormwalker are destroyed, and Alek unwittingly reveals himself to the Germans. The Austrians' hiding place has now been compromised, and reinforcements are returning to finish off both the Leviathan and Alek. Trying to find a way to escape, Alek strikes a deal with Dr. Barlow: he will give them the Stormwalker's engines in exchange for passage to the Ottoman Empire . In the process of bargaining, Alek's true identity as the son of Franz Ferdinand is revealed. Both Deryn and Dr. Barlow promise that they will not reveal his secret. With the more powerful Clanker engines now attached to the Leviathan, they lift off just as they are attacked by the Germans. The Leviathan escapes and sets off for the Ottoman Empire. En route, Deryn receives an order from the captain to tell him everything she knows about Alek and his men. Deryn lies to the captain that she does not know anything, and falsely promises to do her best to find out. Upon finding out about the order, Alek insists that Deryn reveal him to the captain, or she will be hanged as a traitor if her knowledge about his identity is discovered. However, Deryn realizes that they will not hang her, because she is secretly a girl. In order to assuage Alek's fears, she almost tells him this, but is interrupted by Dr. Barlow. ''Behemoth As ''Behemoth begins, Deryn has been teaching Alek how to climb the ratlines, and Alek begins fencing lessons with her on the spine of the Leviathan. Alek adjusts Deryn's position, and she fears that he will discover her secret, but she is reassured that he doesn't know when he tells her to make her chest "the smallest possible target" by standing sideways. During this lesson, they are interrupted by a German attack on the Leviathan. ''Goliath ''**Summary in progress... Physical description Alek has reddish-brown hair and green eyes, with "sharp, handsome features". In Behemoth, Alek seems to think that his ears are big, because he asks Volger about them after seeing the photograph Eddie Malone takes of him for the New York World. In a fan interview, Westerfeld says that Alek is around 2 inches shorter than Deryn. Because Deryn is 5' 10", that would make Alek 5' 8". Personality At the start of Leviathan, Alek is very sheltered and spoiled, but is still a good person. He finds it difficult to live like a commoner, and he has never even handled money before fleeing Austria. Because of his royal lifestyle, he finds the common people to be uneducated and trivial, and is unable to communicate with them without giving himself away by his superior manner. Also, for most of Leviathan, Alek is rather serious and does not often laugh or make jokes. He has also developed a stoic front to suppress the grief of his parents' deaths. After meeting Deryn, however, he begins to develop a more cheerful demeanor. Still, Alek is also brave and willing to do what it takes to save himself or his men or to do what he feels is right. He has a firm belief in his own destiny, and feels that it is his duty to end the war begun by the death of his parents, despite the number of times Deryn tells him it is not his responsibility. In some ways, Alek feels as though his position defines him. Possibly because of the early loss of his paretns, Alek also seems to want to have a "family," and tells Volger that the Stormwalker crew is his family since his parents death, and is somewhat "adopted" by Nene in Istanbul. And when Deryn tells him that he wants to end the war to fill the loss of his family, and that he will never be able to, he replies that he has Deryn now. Alek likes to plan things, and also to plan for the future. His diplomatic talents are revealed in Behemoth and Goliath, when he arranges the Ottoman revolution and when he attempts to bring about peace through the Goliath. Despite this, Alek feels somewhat uncomfortable in the spotlight, and does not enjoy seeing his face in newspapers. He also has a talent for working with Clanker machines, both piloting and building machines. He is able to work on Tesla's machine without instructions. Relationships Family Archduke Franz Ferdinand :Archduke Franz Ferdinand was Alek's father and next in line for the throne of Austria-Hungary. Alek seems to respect his father, who advocated for peace and education for everyone. Whether or not they were particularly close is unknown, but Alek still feels deep grief over his death. Sophie Chotek ' :Alek's mother. Though Sophie cared greatly for her son, Alek somewhat resented her for costing him an empire because of her non-royal blood. However, he still seems to have loved her and is deeply saddened by her deat:h. 'Emperor Franz Joseph :Alek's great-uncle, and the current ruler of Austria. Alek and Franz Joseph seem to have a mostly antagonistic relationship -- Franz Joseph looks down on Alek and does not consider him a real part of the family. Stormwalker Crew Count Volger :Alek's fencing instructor. Though he knows of the secret dispension that grants Alek the throne of Austria-Hungary, Volger still looks down on him and treats him as nothing more than the son of a lady-in-waiting. His superior manner and frequent lectures irritate Alek, but he still trusts Volger and often looks to him for advice. Perhaps because of the deal he made with Franz Ferdinand, Volger is protective of Alek and does as much as he can to ensure Alek's safety. Otto Klopp :Alek's Master of Mechaniks. Because he himself is a commoner, Klopp is one of the few people who treats Alek like a royal. Alek greatly respects Klopp and his abilities. They have a mutual relationship of trust and respect. Like Volger, Klopp does as much as he can to protect Alek. Bauer and Hoffman :The gunner and engineer for the Stormwalker. Alek is grateful for both of their assistance and appreciates their sacrifices; likewise, both Bauer and Hoffman look up to Alek as a noble. However, they are not particularly close and Alek finds it difficult to talk to them. ''Leviathan's Crew and Passengers 'Dr. Nora Barlow' :Alek first meets Dr. Barlow when she interrogates him after he is captured by the crew of the ''Leviathan. Though Alek grows to trust her, he also finds her very annoying, and is at odds with her because she is a top scientist for the Darwinists. Alek eventually gets a job from Dr. Barlow after Deryn decides to leave the Leviathan and go work for the zoological society. Deryn Sharp ::See Relationship of Alek and Deryn :Alek meets Deryn when he wakes her up after the Leviathan crashes. They eventually develop a close friendship which turns into love after Alek learns that Deryn is really a girl. Nikola Tesla :Alek meets Tesla on board the Leviathan, and does not respond to his dinner invitations until Volger tells him to find out what Tesla is doing. Alek eventually gets Tesla to use the Leviathan to get to America, telling him that it is the fastest way to get there. He agrees to support Tesla's use of the Goliath to end the war, believing that the machine will only be used to threaten the Clanker powers. When Tesla decides to actually use the Goliath on Berlin, Alek kills him with his own electrical walking stick to prevent theh nearby Leviathan, which is carrying Deryn, from catching fire. Category:Clankers Category:Characters Category:Stormwalker crew